Launch an AI Startup In Silicon Valley this Summer
Vietnam Summer 2026
Virtual

Program Schedule

Our flagship 'FI Core' program combines structured sprints with constant feedback to help you reach the milestones needed for investment and growth.

Apr 19

Early Application Deadline

May 03

Final Application Deadline

May 20 04:00 pm week 1

Kickoff

During the Accelerator Kickoff, you will meet the Local Leaders and your cohort of Founders, and establish how your startup will use the program to push your business forward.

Date
May 20, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
May 21 04:00 pm week 1

Vision

In each weekly Feedback Session, Founders will pitch and outline their strategies/ progress to the Mentors for feedback, get tips and insights on the week's topic, and have multiple opportunities to ask questions. This week you'll get tips on how to develop a strong vision for your business.

Date
May 21, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

Validate Track
  1. Education - Undergo a crash-course in popular startup and venture capital methodologies, metrics, and terms/ lingo.
  2. Tracking - Research and start tracking the communities surrounding your local and vertical startup ecosystems.
Launch Track
  1. Market Research - Utilize our market research template to collect accurate and available market information on the customer problems you are analyzing.
  2. Personas - Build an initial Buyer Persona to better understand your target customer's needs, challenges, and buying process.
Traction track
  1. Customer Interviews - Using our templates, interview at least 15 customers. If you already have done extensive customer development then outline your current findings and identify areas that require deeper understanding.
  2. Identify Unknowns - Document a detailed understanding of the main customer problem, and fill any required gaps in your customer knowledge.
Sprints
May 28 04:00 pm week 2

Validation

In this Feedback Session, Founders will present any customer development progress to the Mentors to examine if they are pursuing a scalable business with a clear and actionable customer problem. The Mentors will also provide tips on how to validate your key assumptions, interview potential customers effectively, and best interpret the feedback you receive.

Date
May 28, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jun 03 04:00 pm week 3

AMA with VCs: featuring Huy Pham, Lotte Ventures Vietnam

This is an open "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session where founders can directly engage with an active Venture Capitalist. The discussion goes beyond theory, offering practical insights derived from daily deal flow. Founders are encouraged to ask critical questions regarding fundraising processes, market dynamics, and startup growth strategies. This session is highly interactive, driven entirely by audience inquiries, providing a rare opportunity to understand exactly how VCs evaluate opportunities. Note: This webinar will be conducted entirely in Vietnamese.

Date
Jun 03, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jun 04 04:00 pm week 3

Model

In this Feedback Session, Founders will share their pitch and revenue model with Mentors for feedback and continued refinement. You will also get tips on how to sustain your startup before receiving financing or revenue, identifying the most lucrative revenue source for your business, testing different revenue sources with your target customers, and more.

Date
Jun 04, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jun 10 04:00 pm week 4

After You Hit Send: What Really Happens from Pitch Deck to First Check

Many founders don't know what happens after they send a pitch deck. This webinar opens the "black box" of the Venture Capital internal process. From initial screening and partner discussions to deep due diligence, everything is explained clearly. You will understand the real timeline and how to follow up effectively, increasing your chances of moving from first contact to term sheet. Join us for this critical session to navigate your fundraising journey with confidence. Note: This webinar will be conducted in Vietnamese.

Date
Jun 10, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jun 11 04:00 pm week 4

Development

An entrepreneur never stops pitching, so this session focuses 100% on helping you build a great pitch. First, the mentors will share the latest best practices for pitching your startup - whether the pitch is for investors, team members, customers, partners, or otherwise. Then, you'll share your most recent pitch and receive constructive feedback on how to improve.

Date
Jun 11, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jun 18 04:00 pm week 5

Idea Review

This is the first big checkpoint in the program to determine your progress. During the Mentor Idea Review, you will present a longer presentation to a panel of FI Mentors for extensive review. You will receive a rating, as well as feedback on the long-term viability of your offering, revenue model, growth strategy, and more.

Date
Jun 18, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT

Sprints

After the Mentor Idea Review, Founders receive a larger number of custom "Epic Sprints" with deliverables based on their specific challenges. Below are high-level previews of standard deliverables.

Deliverables

Validate Track
  1. Corporate Materials - Immediately update your 3 minute pitch deck and video based on the Mentor Idea Review feedback, and develop a new and updated Executive Summary using our template.
  2. Advisor Candidates - You will create (or fill out) an Advisory Board in the next 5 weeks, so develop a target list of new advisor candidates based off your identified needs and gaps in knowledge/ connections.
Launch Track
  1. Advisor Candidates - You will create (or fill out) an Advisory Board in the next 5 weeks, so develop a target list of new advisor candidates based off your identified needs and gaps in knowledge/ connections.
  2. Advisor Outreach - Leverage the FI network to get introductions to your targets where necessary, and follow our templated process to make progress on your advisory board.
Traction track
  1. Financial Model - Develop or professionalize your financial model based on our template that focuses on expenses ("burn") to understand your cash needs. Develop a revenue forecast for 12-18 months and factor in timing considerations from your sales follow-up work.
  2. Legal Assessment - Identify your short to medium term legal needs, and if you don't already have a law firm, identify at least two local law candidates that have experience working with startups. Begin vetting new or existing law firms using our guidelines.
Sprints
Jun 25 04:00 pm week 6

Formation

In this Feedback Session, startup lawyers and CEOs will explain various legal agreements, startup legal components (such as equity), cap tables, how to protect intellectual property, the best practices for managing a law firm, and more. As usual, Mentors will also provide Founders with ratings and feedback on their startup pitch and progress.

Date
Jun 25, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jul 02 04:00 pm week 7

Launch

In this Feedback Session, Mentors will provide Founders with feedback on their current go-to-market plans and progress, and cover topics like marketing messaging, unit economics, customer acquisition, and more.

Date
Jul 02, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jul 09

Join the Equity Collective

Jul 09 04:00 pm week 8

Traction

In this Feedback Session, Mentors will provide Founders with feedback on their current product, and/or product roadmap. Expert in product development will also discuss best practices in product management, roadmapping, managing product teams, and more.

Date
Jul 09, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jul 16 04:00 pm week 9

Fundraising

Similar to the Mentor Idea Review, the Investor Progress Review is the second major test in the program. In this session, Founders will focus on give a long presentation their progress and traction to a panel of Investors and Advisors for a detailed review. Founders will be evaluated based on their progress in the program, the company's scalability, and more.

Date
Jul 16, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
Jul 23 04:00 pm week 10

Demo Day

In this Feedback Session, Founders will receive feedback from Mentors on their team plans and product progress. In addition, Mentors will discuss how to identify the roles needed to build a world-class company, how to develop a strategy to recruit, onboard and retain the best people, and more.

Date
Jul 23, 2026
Time
04:00am CDT
Sprints
week 11+

Post Programs

The FI Core Program is just the beginning of a life long journey.

Founder Institute Alumni get access to a series of advanced accelerator programs, ongoing support from our Silicon Valley Team, valuable partner and service discounts, and more to continue building the business for years to come.

Continued Support
Continued Support
  • Dedicated Alumni Support Team in Silicon Valley

  • Access to the world's largest network of mentors and investors (40,000+)

  • Private Alumni mailing lists

  • $2.5M+ in partner discounts

  • Invites to FI sessions & network events

  • Potential introductions to investors

Structured Post-Programs
Structured Post-Programs
  • A series of virtual advisory programs where you work with our Silicon Valley HQ team to reach next milestones

  • Funding Lab helps get your lead investor within 6 months

  • The FI Venture Network matches Alumni ready for funding with a massive pool of investors that specialize in writing 'first or second checks' of funding

  • Exclusive for FI Alumni

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